12-21-2025 MY INSPO: offbeat
as above, so below - a curious color combination
this fall/winter season, i noticed a color combination on repeat in my closet. usually denim blue, navy or dusty blue - meets an earthy tone. burnt sienna, brown, chocolate, to the lightest of tans and khaki.
once i saw that trend in my digital closet, i started seeing earth + sky everywhere else. at the store, in nature, and most influentially, online. pinterest, merazine, substack, my digital inspiration outlets. it's like when you buy a new car, then you start seeing it everywhere.
brown, warm tones, not fully complimentary, but sometimes close enough (a burnt earthy orange perhaps), paired with something so cool, i find it a wonderful combination. we may reach for our silver jewelry when wearing a blue outfit, but gold is a refreshing pop of color.
what about denim jeans and brown leather?
or even in the summertime, raffia accessories with ocean blue tones?
or neutral outfit with "something blue"...
here's a collection of earth meets the sky from these past few weeks from online:
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here's some merazine collections people have been posting with this color scheme:
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some looks i styled on indyx for various challenges, etc:
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| melani safari |
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| melani safari |
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| style my haul: uniqlo bag |
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| british vogue - lessons in layering |
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| renaissance to runway inspo |
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| 12/17 - work |
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| 10/18 - brunch |
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| 10/25 - bus stop in cro |
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| 11/17 - work |
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| 11/06 - walk in cro |
the diary of a veteran mall rat
went down snap memory lane recently with sib. first, we watched her hilarious snaps when her screen time was sickening, and when she was job hopping and maybe a bit manic. we compared how mine were more serious - aiming toward "aesthetics" and fashion - much didn't change with me.
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i was in disbelief when i felt a sense of nostalgia. i was not very happy then. i felt lonely, i just moved from my hometown to the usa with no knowledge of the real world, and didn't understand taxes, social security numbers, and barely understood american currency.
i suffered from eyebrow blindness, but i was insanely confident with my outfits, building a brand-new wardrobe from scratch (i travelled to america with one pair of levi's, a pink cleveland hoodie, and a pair of adidas sneakers i eventually got rid of along the years). to set you back to the correct timeline, we're looking at the era of beginning of 2018 until january 2020 - when covid was just a rumor. i got my first ever job in the usa - working at the mall, specifically in new york and company. i knew retail was the way to go. i had minimal service experience and the few months of it was bad. i knew i liked fashion. i knew the mall was close enough for me to drive my shitbox car i borrowed from my aunt. and i knew anything that had "new york" in its name was attracting me like a kid in a candy shop.
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not sure if you're familiar with this brand, but i'll give you a short rundown. it was business casual working woman fast fashion. your mom shopped there, your grandma shopped there when it was lerner's, or lerner bros. it had collaborations with gabrielle union and eva mendes. it had the cutest suits, and any girl needing an interview outfit was promised to find gold there.
retail is stressful, but i roamed those aisles and knew them inside-out. i loved looking at new merch and enjoyed last minute clearance "color-coordinating" (aka finding my next best thing with my employee discount). during this time, i was truly defining my style as an adult. i had big girl money and big girl dreams, no mom and dad to tell me yes or no. shopping was accessible finally.
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i loved morning shifts when i didn't have classes. they were calm, and those were times i could even try to work on window styling.
i didn't mind evening shifts when i would get coffee for dinner, and that 8:50pm rolled on our computer screens, and my coworkers' conversations got light and fun.
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i met incredible people who i still hear from here and there or at least am connected to on social media. it was an era. maybe not my best, maybe not my worst. but i have to say - the outlandish stuff i pulled off, fit-wise, was something i envy now. with my work now, in the mental health field, i get to dress up, which you all get to see, but i'm restrained in ways i wasn't before - minimal makeup (personal laziness, not really work related), no heels (i do lots of travelling, walking, and occasionally running), no cleavage/super short stuff - i'm pickier on what i wear, often choosing comfort over anything else. as i share these few photos, you may see the difference. at the end of the day, the difference might be that, perhaps the older i get, my looks are just more refined. another thing to note, i had only started to thrift occasionally during this time, so lots of my outfits were polyester fast fashion items. there's items i would never buy again, and never wear again.
enjoy this archive!
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| a promotional top we all had to buy for $5. absolute bullshit! |
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| loved pale pink stuff, but it always washed me out |
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| eyebrow blindness? |
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| one of the first secondhand items from a consignment store. i wore this look with heeled boots for the interview at my next job after i left the mall |
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| still have this sweater. loved snapchat filters back then |
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| no longer have this jumpsuit (forever 21) |
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| my docs i still wear. no longer own this skirt. loved burnt orange back then |
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| still own this top (philosophy). kate spade chevron phone case. skirt from charlotte russe. |
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| check out this lip staple: kylie jenner velvet lip in shade shook |
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| another case of pale pink |
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| that velvet liquid lipstick again. tie dye top from forever 21 |
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| i freshly purchased these madden oxfords. |
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pinterest predictions 2026
the other night boyfriend i were talking on the phone, and he asked, "what are you up to now?" i explained i was doing the pinterest predict trend quiz. "the hallmark version of tumblr" he scoffed. why was he so right?
i thought that quote was so good to discuss the pinterest predict 2026. for a few years now pinterest is trying to analyze what's hot on the dashboard. sib is probably right when she tells me "it's the data centers generating ai predictions".
beside the gloomy reality, i love a good quiz. i was raised on buzzfeed, come on.
i completed this quick quiz on what my aesthetic is for 2026: neo deco, described as "geometric glam and eccentric edge come together with an artful finesse. think crisp chevrons, fan arches, and metallic accents". of course, i loved my result!
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here's a list of all 21 trends for 2026, what's your trend?
scent stacking
funhaus
neo deco
laced up
khaki coded
opera aesthetic
mystic outlands
glamoratti
pen pals
throwback kid
brooched
cabbage crush
afrohemian decor
extra celestial
vamp romantic
darecations
poetcore
gimme gummy
wilderkind
glitchy glam
cool blue
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let's play neo deco dress up, shall we? the trend itself is architecture and decor based, but i think i have enough inspiration to make a couple fits too.
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My trend is extra celestial!👽
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