Posts Tagged ‘Leggings’

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I was in the paper today. Sorry if you can’t read Korean- basically it says that I have the coolest blog ever. lol jk.

It’s about how this blog and my shop came about; also how fashion has always been a part of my life and will always be my passion.

Many of you don’t know this but I studied art throughout my childhood and going into teens. My parents sent me to an art studio when I was six and without a doubt, everyone thought I would become a designer or artist of some sort. I always knew that I would end up in an art school. And I did, though not exactly what I had expected when I started with the fundamentals at a local state college. I hated it. I felt like I didn’t belong there and felt extremely incompetent, but it wasn’t until that day when the professor gave me a C on a project for using a white chalk. I had used it to highlight the bright spots though I knew that he had specifically told us not to. I visited his office later to appeal to only be disappointed for the second time. So I decided that it was the time. I switched to a local community college instead trying to “find myself”. I had to lie to my parents for a few months until I announced my decision to move… to New York City, which almost sent my parents to a hospital. My dad had just moved in with us from Korea after almost five years of living by himself. He was traumatized. Call me selfish but I carried on. Nothing could stop me. I wanted to be surrounded by those tall buildings and be awed by the glitz and chaos. I wanted to date those stock brokers in long coats and leather gloves.

Destination: FIT.

Fashion had always been a part of me. I started collecting fashion magazines when I was 15. I subscribed to Vogue with the money that I didn’t have. I starved so I could buy baggy jeans. I hid in my room every night and put eyeliner all over my eyes staring into a stained mirror, in hopes of looking like the models in the magazine. I secretly admired the cute overalls pretty unnis wore (older girls) at church. My notebooks were always filled with drawings of girls in cute dresses and makeup. Fashion design assignments never felt like assignments- I didn’t have to eat nor sleep as long as I was able to artistically express my creativity. In my high school Fashion Design class, I was #2 (#1 was a friend of mine who was the most amazing fashion illustrator ever!) and everyone including the teacher never doubted that I’d become a fashion designer. So I decided to go back to where it all started- what makes my heart skip a beat. As soon as it was determined that FIT was the only school in Manhattan that was affordable, the sleepless nights started. After a month, my portfolio was complete with 10+ designs and 30+ sketches. I don’t know, but if someone asked me to sit and come up with designs all day, I would. I probably could come up with one every 5 minutes. If that doesn’t suggest that I was born to do this, I don’t know what is (not assuming that they are all manufacture-able). Fast-forward six months and there I was, standing in front of FIT on 7th Avenue in New York City, confused. Has anyone gone through this before? You are extremely stoked and just ready to go chase your dream, but someone comes along and just breaks everything into pieces? That’s basically what happened to me. and no, this was not a bf, but someone very close at the time and one whom I greatly respected. I was told that not many fashion designers succeed and that it’s an extremely competitive field. I was advised to look elsewhere that’s more stable and secure, i.e. accounting. Being an artist all my life, I didn’t even have a clue what accounting was, but it made me think… for a while. I didn’t have a plan as to how I’d pay tuition either, so I thought, ‘Heck, I’ll give it a try… whatever it is. He’s got to be right, because I respect and trust him.’ So just like that, everything ended and started over. Luckily I was able to find a school that didn’t cost a fortune and a job that paid just enough to let me live in that expensive city. and instead of dating a stock broker, I started working for one. Just like that, my adventure in the business world started.

Study of the Mind: Marketing was a fascinating subject. It was like a combination of art and business, which was just so perfect for me. Although it took me a year to learn about the field and finally switch my major (believe it or not, I started off as an accounting major- ouch! you accountants have my respect!). Then towards my last year of college, I learned about a new field called Organizational Psychology. It was like getting hit in the head with a huge rock. WHAT?! ‘This is friggin’ amazing’, I thought. I sat in front of the room in every class and aced every single test (yes, I was one of those). I bothered the professor until she started avoiding me. I almost cried when she “tried” to give me an A-. I told her I wanted to pursue a PhD in the field. I took three of her classes consecutively and memorized the texts religiously. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer at one point while taking a law class (I loved writing briefs), but no, now I wanted to be a PhD- a kid who failed trigonometry in High School! LOL

That summer after finishing school, I told my boss I was moving back to California to pursue a graduate degree. I secretly wanted to stay and go to Columbia, but even if I ended up going, I thought I’d come back later. I needed a break from New York.

I emailed renowned professors at research institutions across the country who were experts in the specific field/topic that I was interested in. After numerous email exchanges, I ended up in LA working on an academic journal on minority employer’s perceptions toward hiring people with disabilities. I worked as a research associate for a year while preparing for graduate school. With God’s grace, I received an acceptance to my top choice in California. The two years were more than an academic training for me- it was rather a time in which I grew as a stronger person. Being the only student in the incoming group with a business background, I had to try twice as hard to catch up with the smart folks from the prestigious schools all over the world. So many times I wanted to give up and go back to my comfort zone, yet I persevered because I considered it a gift that God had given me. Go ahead and laugh, but I felt blessed just being able to work with such smart people and be trained by world-renowned researchers. The two years taught me that anything is possible if you try hard. I had never thought that I would end up with a Masters Degree in Psychology, or studying Global Business at Oxford University for that matter. What, a naive art student who moved 3000 miles away from home to be surrounded by pretty things?! O.. K?!? haha. Anyways, I digress.

So here I was, with two degrees and a marriage certificate (I got married right before graduation). Fast-forward two years, I’m sitting in a cubicle researching cars. Oh yeah, that totally makes sense- you spend $70K to study people’s mind and end up reading about cars. Absolutely! ha. You know what, life doesn’t always turn out the way you expect or want it to (I actually learned this the hard way!). If you didn’t know that, don’t worry, you will, soon. Trust me, it’s not completely irrelevant though- research is the basis of psychology, and that’s what I’m doing, right? Anyhow, after coming home from a stressful day at work, I’m on the phone one night with my mother in law in Korea who’s in fashion business. I ask her if she could get me some durable, “truly-opaque (was having a hard time finding one here)” tights and leggings that are comfortable yet cute. I receive a box the next week filled with goodies including but not limited to, leggings and tights. I love the products. My friends show interest. I decide to post them on my blog since I write about fashion anyway. and the rest is history- then again, that was only two months ago! All this may sound either funny or whatnot, but my past 10 years have been no less than adventurous. Exactly after 10 years, I’m back to where it all started running a fashion business, and in those 10 years, so much happened that I just cannot believe that they all actually happened (do I even make sense?!). More than anything, I want to let you know that while I obviously am not here to lose money, but it’s more than business for me. It may have come at an unexpected time in an unexpectedly expeditious manner, but this is where my passion lies and all I want to do is to share with those who are seeking, whether it’s life or fashion. were you ever lost? were you let down? were you discouraged? Now it’s your time to shine. Be yourself. Be brave. Express your creativity. Be who you want to be. Tomimito is for those like me, who went around the world to find herself, who is finally sure of who she is and want to express it through fashion.

My Article on the Internet (Korean)

f(x) knows leggings:

Nu ABO by f(x)
Refreshing.

*Get your own pair of unique Korean leggings here!*

Me+Leggings= Inseparable

As an experienced shopper (a bit of sarcasm here- after all, every girl is one, yeah? lol but in any case… since I get asked a lot on where I get the stuff I wear), I would like to share some tips on where to shop for specific items to help make your shopping experience a productive and efficient one- oh, and also to prevent you from wasting money on the things that are not worthy.

1. Let’s start with Jackets:

H&M

While you have to do some search, they usually offer a great selection and very well-tailored jackets at an affordable price. As for other things, I’ve never really had luck with their accessories nor tops unless they are made in Europe with high quality material. Their leggings are made of cheap materials which make them become unwearable after a wash, and their pants just don’t fit right. Sometimes they offer high quality dresses which is very rare- and even when that happens, you’d better run because they will be gone before you know it.

*Note: They also offer very nice fitted button-up shirts for men for under $40. Try them once and you will be hooked.

2. Practical and durable Coats, Jackets, Cardigans, & Sandals:

Zara

While their products are not top notch, they offer trendy products at a reasonable price. definitely more expensive than H&M or Forever21, but it’s a great place to pick up a trendy jacket or coat, and sometimes accessories such as sandals and handbags as well. While  I find a lot of their bags cute, I prefer real leather which they usually do not carry- so that explains why I don’t own any of their bags. I do own a pair of their gladiator sandals however, which I absolutely love. <3

3. Artsy Graphic T-shirts & Skinny Jeans:

Mango

They have really cute casual tops to pair with jeans or leggings. I love their graphic artsy print tees. I also like their stretchy skinny jeans because they fit very nicely.

4. Dresses, Sweaters, Jackets, Skinny Jeans, Blouses, and everything else:

Miss Sixty

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I’m a loyal fan. I absolutely love their creativity and quality of the products. Everything in the store fits very well, ranging from dresses to jeans to shoes. love. I just don’t dig their bags… no comment there.

5. Dresses, Dressy Tops (for work or parties), Coats, Jackets, & Ties for Men:

Ted Baker

Extremely well-made, high quality products ($$$). You get what you pay for. lol

6. Shoes:

Politix (Beverly Center):

If you are not from Socal, the name probably sounds foreign, but it’s a boutique specializing in Italian fashion ranging from shoes to premium jeans. I travel to LA once a while for their amazing collection of shoes that cannot be found elsewhere. I’m a huge fan of Italian shoes that are unique and high quality and they offer just that.

7. Men’s Dress Shoes & Ladies’ Hand Bags:

Bally

Every man should have a nice pair of dress shoes and this is where they can be found. Bally is known for comfortable, durable, yet stylish shoes- No further explanation needed. As for bags, the black shoulder bag I carry everywhere (literally) that I get asked about all the time is from Bally. I really have no idea what I’m going to do when it falls apart.

8. Watches:

Cartier

Aside from the fact that I’ve been brainwashed by my sister who’s been working for the company for quite some time, I’ve come to a conclusion that what I’ve been taught may indeed be true- that Cartier makes one of the best & stylish watches. If I had a choice, I’d pick up this Santos for those casual days and for more dressy occasions, a Rolex with diamonds all over (you know what? that’d actually work for the casual days as well now that I think about it.. but I digress). lol Out of all the watches I’ve seen, Cartier makes the best looking leather strap watches. My blessed sister gets to wear the watch of my dreams for marketing purposes but yeah, if I could just live for the present, I’d definitely get one, like TODAY. ahhh…

9. Work Pants:

Express

This is the ONLY thing I buy from this store. The Editor Pants are the best thing Express has ever made.

10. Leather Bracelets:

Kitson

Everything is way over priced so don’t even try unless you got a sugar daddy or have money coming out of ears or somethin’ (not that bracelets are an exception but they are just so cute I cannot resist them).

11. Suits, Blouses, Coats for both men & women, Men’s Sweater, Cardigan, & Fitted Casual Button-down Shirts

Club Monaco

Why is it that this place is ALWAYS packed with Korean people? Could it be that they carry cute suits and blouses; cute coats and endless collection of cute stuff for men? If you haven’t been here, you are totally missing out. Yes, it’s a bit pricey but I’ve never regretted shopping here. besides, more men need to shop here! **

12. Leggings & Opaque Tights:

Tomimito Shop, of course. haha.

On a serious note, the reason why I decided to sell these is because I had a hard time finding leggings and opaque tights that were unique, comfortable, and high quality in the states. Especially with the tights, I just could not find ones that were thick enough to reach the level of opaqueness I wanted to achieve. I had tried Express, H&M, DKNY, and various department store brand tights only to be disappointed over and over again- you know, you think you are buying what you want but once you actually put them on, they don’t turn out the way you had imagined. Every time it happened, I told myself that I’m only getting my money’s worth- but yeah, didn’t mean to make this post a commercial one but I just want to help those who are experiencing frustration like I did. Even with leggings, what’s up with the cheap material? Would you spend $20 for a cheap pair only to buy another within months, or buy a quality kind for $40 to wear everyday yet still last like forever? idk, I’m definitely the latter type of person. btw, one of my favorite fashion magazines says Black Opaque Tights are one of the must-have-items for women these days. Check it out. As they mention, opaque tights, when they are truly opaque and durable, can make your legs look slimmer. They suggest doubling them up, but as you can imagine, that can be quite inconvenient not to mention uncomfortable. Try ours (great news- they don’t need to be doubled up to achieve opaqueness!) I take pride in quality of our products and believe you will truly be satisfied. Try the Stirrups for a more dramatic effect to elongate your legs while slimming them!

I hope the list helps. I need your help now- I have yet to find a store that offers cute cotton-based undies (no, not Victoria’s Secret or Frederick’s, pls!). As usual, I want quality and style with an affordable price tag. Let me know!

Image Source: Google Images- various

Did I tell you that leggings and I go way back? I was going through my photo albums the other day and came across these photos from many many years ago. then I realized that I started wearing leggings when I was six or so.

What do you call those little bags you wear on the waist? My mom used to make me wear them all the time. She said it “completes the look”. but hey, I do match from head to toe! lol oh, btw note those black leggings which are still a staple in my wardrobe!

I was so obese as a kid my mom enrolled me at a local ballet studio. This is when I dreamed of becoming the next ___(insert your favorite Ballerina’s name)… until my instructor started calling me fat. boo. and notice the opaque leggings. nice.

I was an aspiring aerobics instructor as well. just look at those thunder thighs. I now understand where my love for purple things comes from. I wanted to be Barney even before he was born! but hey, what’s up with my tanned skin? Can I please have it back?! btw, I actually had eyebrows back then! LOL

I loved this outfit. I dreamed of becoming a Queen bumble bee one day. A ren’t those yellow tights adorable?!

so there goes the story of me and my leggings. So glad to be reunited with my beloved Korean leggings and tights. You should get a taste of it too, because once you do, you will never go back. I promise.