Have you noticed the new changes on my blog? I’ve started renovating my site and will continue to make more changes until I achieve the look that I’m going for– I hope you all won’t mind! You’ll also see slight changes in my writing, structure, and layout in future posts. I’m constantly evolving as a blogger and continuously learning new ways to improve the content that I produce. I’m really trying to give you (all 1,667 of you!) my best work.
Some of you have been wondering where I’ve been and what I’m up to (the best way to keep up with me is to follow my Instagram @TheClothingStatement) so I’ll give you a quick recap of my life. I’ve started my social media internship at ServeMinnesota (a great non-profit that works to solve Minnesota’s most critical needs! Please follow them on Instagram @ServeMinnesota), traveled to Chicago recently for a friend’s birthday and graduation party, booked my plane ticket to San Francisco for the end of July, did some photo shoots for my blog here and there, and have been spending most of my free time with my friends and family.
With that, let’s get started! This post is the first in my new blog series called Style Steal where I borrow clothing pieces from my most fashionable friends and have them style me with their own clothes (well, their clothes + my clothes). As you can probably tell from the title, today’s Style Steal features my friend Cao Qingkang (whom you’ve seen in my Gender Neutral Fashion post as well as provided the photography talents for my Vietnamese Ao Dai post).
H: Can you introduce yourself?
C: My name is Cao Qingkang (Cao is my last name and Chinese people say last name first). I just turned 23! I majored in apparel design, and I want to dig deeper into gender non-binary clothing and adaptive clothing (apparel for people with disabilities). Right now I plan on moving to NYC to explore more opportunities in fashion. I’d say my style varies depending on the situation. Sometimes I wear tight-fitted pieces for formal events or night life activities, but I also love boxy, over-sized pieces if I’m just hanging out with my friends. There’s usually not a lot of different colors on me, maybe 2 or 3 max. I like sleek, minimal yet, structured clothing. You can follow me on Instagram @caoqingkang.
Metallic Shirt: Zaful $15
Black tube top: Zaful $8
High-waisted joggers: ASOS $35
Black heels: Marshall’s $20
Gold Earrings: Thrifted $10
H: So, you decided to dress me up in your black joggers for the first outfit. Tell me, what was your thought process behind pairing those joggers with the rest of my outfit?
C: I wanted to match your black tube top with something, so I had you wear it outside of your metallic shirt. I wanted something with a soft and matte feel. I also thought the joggers would be a good fit for the outfit since high-waisted and capris-length bottoms usually lifts up one’s body and make their proportion look nicer.
H: How often do you wear those joggers and with which clothing pieces would you usually pair those joggers with if you were the one wearing them?
C: I’ve worn them two or three times I think… I usually pair them up with a boxy t-shirt or a shirt tucked in in the front with another collared shirt layered on the outside unzipped/unbuttoned. To finish off the look I usually put on some sneakers or chunky shoes like Dr. Martens.
Red top: Target $15
Button-down: Calvin Klein (thrifted) $5
Earrings: Ragstock $3
Skirt: Aeropostale $10
Heels: Thrifted $10
H: In the second outfit, what was your reasoning behind tying your button-down over my shirt?
C: I wanted to do something different in the styling, so I thought tying my button-down shirt around you adds interesting structures and details to the outfit. It almost looks like it shouldn’t be there but at the same time it looks like it’s sewn onto your red top to begin with.
H: What kind of trend is this and where has it been popping up lately?
C: I’ve actually been seeing garments that were designed to be sewn like two shirts tied together during some fashion week runway shows. In real life, I’ve also seen some people tying their shirts diagonally but just loosely behind their back instead of in the front and then tucked in.
Qingkang, thank you for putting in so much effort into styling me and taking such creative photos for this blog post! Remember to follow Qingkang on Instagram to keep up with his fashionable adventures in NYC. Another Style Steal is already in the works– get ready to see me styled by another one of my friends! I’m going to keep working on getting more content created for you guys and as always, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading, sharing, and liking my content. Your support is what keeps me going!
The Clothing Statement 