Style Crush: Jacqueline Pak

As a scout for all things fashion, I always love to look at Instagram to see hot stylish chicks express themselves. Even though I adore the app for being a great platform to express individuality, the sad truth is that there are many trend chasers who copy whatever Rihanna, the Kardash-Jenners and other models/singers/celebrities are wearing. Although I, myself, adore celebrity style, I can tear a page out of their book, draw inspiration from it and not literally copy it from head to toe. No matter how influential a celebrity’s style is, it’s a sad epidemic when influencers dress like twins to the point where it’s harder to tell apart Mary-Kate or Ashley.

With my inner Andy Warhol in sight, my radar’s been on the pulse for Jacuqeline Pak. As Lulu’s Director of Footwear and Accessories, her chameleonic style feels radically fresh without being extremely in-your-face. As a fellow Gemini, it’s rather an adaptable trait we have in our astrological DNA. But most importantly, she’s mastered that art from her previous stint at Nasty Gal, where she graduated from CEO’s assistant to buyer.

We chat about why footwear feels so underrated, the biggest lesson she’s learned from Sophia Amoruso, what we should anticipate if we wanna work in retail, how we can try out many trends without being too basic and the one (or two) thing(s) that LA girls don’t wear.

V.I.P.: The Long-Forgotten Pamela Anderson TV Show That Started All of Your Favorite Trends

Blonde bombshell Pamela Anderson is better-known for her explosive personal life, frolicking in a red swimsuit and 14 risqué cover shoots for Playboy. However, the most overlooked part throughout her long career was being the executive producer of V.I.P. 

Named after her character, Vallery Irons, V.I.P. took us on an adventure as it the titular bodyguard and her team foiled assassination attempts, death threats and other potentially life-harming situations. If you thought that Irons and her team dolled up in SWAT-style suits, they actually stole the show with body-con dresses, crop tops, pastels and Romy and Michele-esque holographic swatches. All in all, the aesthetic was basically what Anderson dubs the “Spice Girls Bodyguard Agency” in a profile for Interview. (RIP, Interview! *crying*) Although I was only 3-years-old when V.I.P. came out, little did I know that I would end up falling in love with it when I stumbled upon it via YouTube this year.

Given that the show put more emphasis on Pam than any other cast member, my eyes are instantly glued to the super fly fashions from Anderson and co. Not only are they visually appealing, so much attention went to the details from head to hemline. (ATTN: Pam, who was your costume designer?! And also, do you still have any leftover V.I.P. costumes I can keep? *praying hands*)

Here are the 2018 trends you didn’t realize that Pamela Anderson (and the cast) wore first:

#StyleCrush: Chromat

I can’t get over Chromat and my love for this brand is something that I’ve cultivated over the past three years.

The first time I saw this brand, I was shopping on Nasty Gal. (FYI, this was during its peak from 2012 to 2013…) On the site, I stumbled across a model wearing a white shirt with a cutout black cage bra. Generally, cutout clothing was – and still is – so hard to wear beyond a shirt if you have big boobs like myself. Sometimes, there could be too much overboob, underboob and sideboob. But with that bra, layering it on top of a shirt was the best thing I ever saw. It was kinda like a Fantasy Bra minus the diamonds: it had the right lift that wasn’t overly aggro, fitted cut and sleek cutouts. It looked like something I could truly wear. Shipped, sealed and delivered, it was mine.

If there’s anything else I love about Chromat, check out my top faves AND the interview I did with its designer, Becca McCharen Tran for The 405!